EYEBALLERS knock FaZe out of BLAST Bounty Winter 2026 after a three-map series

A sensation right at the start of the BLAST Bounty Winter 2026: Closed Qualifier. EYEBALLERS unexpectedly defeated FaZe Clan 2–1 in a BO3 series, eliminating the finalists of the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025. A team few expected to make a deep run delivered a confident performance on the decisive maps and rightfully secured a spot in the Round of 16 of the qualifier, while FaZe shockingly end their campaign early.

The map veto for the match was as follows:

• EYEBALLERS removed Nuke
• FaZe removed Anubis
• EYEBALLERS picked Ancient
• FaZe picked Mirage
• EYEBALLERS removed Dust2
• FaZe removed Overpass
• Inferno was left over

Ancient (13:6 FaZe)

On their opponent’s pick, FaZe completely dominated the map. The first half confidently went in FaZe’s favor, 9:2 on the CT side. In the second half, EYEBALLERS tried to respond on defense but were unable to handle FaZe’s aggressive T side, as FaZe closed the map 13:6.

Mirage (13:4 EYEBALLERS)

EYEBALLERS managed to surprise on FaZe Clan’s pick. They looked very comfortable on the CT side in the first half, giving FaZe almost no chances to win rounds. After a series of successful rounds, EYEBALLERS built a strong economy and secured the first half with a 10:2 scoreline. The second half did not last long — FaZe failed to regain the initiative and lost their own map pick 4:13.

Inferno (13:7 EYEBALLERS)

The decisive Inferno turned out to be very tense, yet unexpected. There was no clear dominance from either side in the first half, with EYEBALLERS holding a slight 7:5 advantage. In the second half, FaZe completely collapsed on the CT side, winning only two rounds, while EYEBALLERS comfortably closed Inferno 13:7 to take the series 2–1.

Match MVP

The best player of the match was bobeksde, who posted an ADR of 97.9, Swing of +6.69%, and a rating of 1.56.

EYEBALLERS created a major upset at the very start of the tournament by eliminating the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 finalists. FaZe exit the tournament, while EYEBALLERS advance to the Round of 16. BLAST Bounty Winter 2026: Closed Qualifier runs from January 13 to 18, where 32 teams compete for eight spots at the LAN event in Malta.